Tag: dinner and dancing blog

Let’s face it, working out in the winter can be tough. Unless you live somewhere that is eternally warm or you have a home gym, getting motivated to go to the gym or go for a walk can be like pulling teeth. I just do not want to get out from under my warm blanket!

If you’re like me and the temperature outside has been below 30 for days on end, I have a solution for you that will not require you to get cold. This at-home workout is my go-to for those snowstorm days or when I only have about 20 minutes to get a workout in. All you need is your body, 3-5 lb weights (or soup cans) and some good tunes to keep you motivated! (check out my playlists here)

Make X with your hands, jump and land reaching towards opposite leg, jump and reach to other leg.

4. Lunge and curl – 24 reps

With weights in hands lunge front and bring weights up in bicep curl. Bring legs back together and uncurl. Alternate feet.

ABS – Do whole sequence 2x

1. Toe touches – 20 reps

With legs above hips reach over head and then up towards toes.

2. Butt crunches – 20 reps

Lift hips towards the sky and engage glutes. Bring hips down.

3. Bicycle – 20 reps

Lift head and twist towards opposite knee as other leg extends straight. Switch to other side.

4. Arm Dips – 20 reps

With fingers facing your heels, bend elbows and straighten.

Still can’t get your butt off the couch? Here’s a tip. I always find it hard to change into my workout because I don’t want to get cold. So instead of changing, I start the workout in whatever I’m wearing and then as I get hot I change into my workout clothes. It works in a pinch!

Good morning! Yesterday we got hit with some thick, heavy snow so naturally we all cancelled everything we had planned (when I say we, I mean the entire state of New Hampshire) and hunkered down for the day.

Dance was cancelled so that meant I had some extra time on my hands. For me extra time = baking time. I decided to experiment with my new favorite healthy food swap, pumpkin puree!

Pumpkin is so versatile and full of essential vitamins and fiber. You can easily use pumpkin as a healthy alternative to ingredients like butter, oil and eggs in baking recipes! By swapping in pumpkin you will automatically reduce the calories and fat in the recipe and increase your veggie intake for the day. It’s a win-win!

Today I replaced the butter that would normally go into these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with the same amount of pumpkin puree. The results = you don’t miss the butter for a second. Your baked goods may come out a little more orange tinted than normal, but who doesn’t like a little extra warm glow in their kitchen?

These cookies are full of other healthy ingredients too like dark chocolate chips, which provide healthy antioxidants, walnuts and coconut for some healthy fats and whole wheat flour and oats for added fiber. The recipe title says cookies, but these could probably qualify as a power bar if you’re in a pinch. Enjoy!

There’s something refreshing about being upside down. All day long we live our lives right side up, so when the opportunity arrises to get those legs in the air, it can be a really nice change of perspective. Plus being able to support yourself with your arms is a great core workout in itself.

This exercise combo is something I use in my Jumps & Turns classes to get the kids to practice their splits and at the same work on core and arm strength. But it’s not just a dance exercise, it can be good for anyone who wants to work on their flexibility and core strength. You can modify the number of commandos and push-ups based on your ability.

I would definitely recommend some dynamic stretching before attempting this combination, especially for your legs muscles and hips flexors. Dynamic stretching is active stretching, meaning muscles are repeatedly put through the range of motion. For example, bending over and touching your right toe, but lifting the right toe 8x while you’re in the stretch. This helps the blood flow to your muscles, warms your muscles and is proven to help increase performance compared to static stretching (no movement during stretch).

Walk back out to plank (bring leg down as you go) and hold for 16 counts

8 push-ups

Walk hands back to legs

Extend left leg up wall and hold stretch for 16 counts

REPEAT

You leg may not look like this, and that’s OK! Hey, it might look even better, and that’s awesome! The goal is to try to get your hips as close to the wall as you can. The wall and your hands pushing on the ground give you the right leverage to really deepen that split and push your flexibility (safely of course).

And you might even find some new perspective while you’re down there. Just don’t look at your face if you’re looking into a mirror like I am…upside down face can be quite frightening.